Last ride 76 

You inspire me again... I do want to do the details, at the very least. I did these 44 years ago... Down, Seat, and Head tubes replaced by Proteus. Lug filing and braze-ons by me. I made the cable guides from the original top tube. Vision is an entirely internally routed steel or perhaps SS lugged frame, with fastback stays, maybe Henry James fork crown...

Detail painting fail... Still not entirely resolved 4 years later but shows lugwork. I added brake cable guides, shift bosses and water bottle mounts after frame returned (unpainted) from Proteus . Now just white and green paint, ok, but nothing special. I could not match yellow saddle, bar tape, and brake cables. I gave up.

gomango

I bet you will!!!!

RiddleOfSteel

Thanks! Looking on Prismatic's website, it looks seafoam green, which makes sense as I was puzzled why glossier light blue powders looked green instead of light blue.

Johnk3

Here is my 2020 custom Cicli Barco XCr. TIG welded stainless Columbus XCr tubes, stainless steel Barco Viva fork with carbon steering tube, Chris King headset, Campy Super Record 12 sp. group, Campy direct mount brakes, carbon stem, handlebars and seatpost by WR Compositi (they make carbon parts for Ferrari) SMP Pro saddle w/ carbon rails, HED Belgium Plus rims on White Industries T11 hubs, Sapim CX Ray spokes, Vittoria Corsa Control tubeless tires, Look Carbon Blade Ceramic Ti pedals. It is a 58.5 cm frame and weighs 18.875 lbs with pedals. The direct mount brakes allow wider tires up to about 32 mm.

squirtdad

that is gorgeous How do you like the direct mount brakes? how is quick release handled?

mstateglfr 

I have it, its what I built in a frame class a couple years ago.
Had I not done the frame class, I would say a road frame built by Jeff Bock would be at the top of my list...and he is who taught the class and had a direct hand at times. Otherwise Kvale and DiNucci as I love the thinning each do.

Columbus Zona OS tubing with 73degree HTA and STA
Ultegra 6800 shifting with 11/32 cassette.
Praxis Zayante 50/34 crank
TRP 957 brakes
Ritchey bars, seatpost, and tape
Uno7 UL stem
Brokks C17 saddle
H+son Archetype rims laced to bitex hubs with double butted spokes.
28mm GP4k measuring to 31mm
Sparkle orange to pearl white fade.

I built it exactly how I wanted and love every minute or riding. Comfortable on short hard rides, long rides, and short gravel segments to connect pavement.

squirtdad

as the kids say ver nice now you went and put the idea of doing a frame building class into my head thanks....i think

merziac

That's what I should have done with the Strawberry but then Dave would have had to save me from myself.

Sluggo

I took a similar approach. Homemade frame, OxPlat light tubes traditional diameter, 650b, powdercoat. But low trail, and I raided other bikes in the fleet and the parts bucket for some of the components, others purchased NOS. The only new new item is the Sun XCD rear derailleur, although the TA crank is now gone, replaced by a Riv Silver. [edit] The compass/rh braze-on centerpulls are also new.

The Cazadero knobbies are not the usual rubber, but this photo was from a gravel excursion.

Korina

If I were ever to get a custom bike, and I never will because all the $$$$$$, it would be a light-ish weight all-road comfy bike built around 26" wheels. Basically a lighter version of my Princess, with a shorter top tube and more barnacles. How do you even find a builder?



Hey, what's in the big pink box?

mstateglfr 

Ok, so your answer to the question of what is your dream c&v inspired bespoke bike build is that you would get a lighter version of a current bike that fits better.
Seems like a very good dream choice.


As for where to find a builder, its the same way you find anything in life- recommendations and google.

noglider 

There is at least one in every area. Lots of people buy remotely, negotiating and specifying over phone or email, so you don't need to find one locally. I think if I were ever to have a frame built, I would go local.

Korina

Yup, that"s about it. I already have a nearly perfect bike, just not quite.

merziac

Strong vote for local builder, no way I would have done it without face to face.

Too much detail to convey and understand, need to be able to see the nuance and expression during the process, especially when you or the builder are confused about what the other is trying to say.

Several things come up that the builder knows, thinks, decides they won't, don't, can't do that you may not want to hear that need a frank in person conversation.

I have studied the process extensively and still had several things that he had to explain why we couldn't do it on mine.

squirtdad

Local vs remote is an interesting question. the guy i am interested in, Dave Kirk is pretty much exclusively remote. It seems he uses physical measurement of you and your current bikes setup and then starts asking questions.

merziac

He would probably be one of the few to consider doing it remotely with.

I know we discussed this in my other thread.

But a crucial facet of the Strawberry build as I explained in the thread was the fitting when Dave had me bring the two very different bikes and watched me ride them for 15-20 minutes each.

60 and 66cm with very different geometry had him scratching his head for a while and measuring and recalculating till the lightbulb went off and he saw the vision, said something like "I know exactly what I want to do with this now".

We talked at length about the long term and how it should affect the build for the here and now, without the hands on of the others it would have been less likely to get it this right for all the miles between now and then to the end of the line.

He nailed it with the info we gleaned from the fitting and discussions having lost some less in translation in person.

Korina

When I search Google for "custom bicycles", the three nearest listings are Bicycle Designer in Redding, 150+ miles across the Trinity Alps, DeSalvo Custom Cycles in Ashland Or. even farther away, and Sutter Street Cruisers in freaking Folsom, 323 miles away. They all look pretty much the opposite of what I'm thinking of. It's cool, I couldn't afford it anyway. But it's nice to dream.

squirtdad

the fun of living in the Humboldt area

San jose has https://www.silvacycles.com/ if you were to ever do a builid they would be pretty open to anything and wold get you to what you wanted I have no doubts (and frigging 324 miles or so.....son graduated HSU and is building his business in Arcata so I know the distance and where to get coffed)

Classtime 

I think that you should pick a builder and let him ask the questions. If you feel the need to question the builder, you should find another builder. If you want a touring bike, find a builder who has made plenty, made mistakes, and is hopefully not about to repeat them. Same for a Rando bike or track bike, or whatever. I think if I wanted to pick tubes or geometry or whatever, I would braze my own frame with guidance from a master. I rode my dream C&V inspired bike today after hanging up my Eroica bike for the foreseeable future and lived the ride. I had no input on its construction other than color and choice of lugs. Trust the builder to make something they are proud to put their name on. ( BTW, I waited almost 6 years from deposit to delivery.)

merziac

You could reach out to them and ask if they know of any closer to you, maybe some not on the big radar.

Also could reach out to NAHBS and ask, it was in Sacramento last year so they should know who's building around there.

merziac

Would never choose a builder that I felt the need to "question", I did however have a lot of questions related to the specific ask at hand, he asked many as well so that I was mostly satisfied with our understanding when we started aside from my own ignorance that is on me.

I would never argue with them, that's why a thorough discussion is needed beforehand to make sure the ask, goal and reality are in hand going in.

Tubes were/are a consideration and I wanted 531, got main tubes only because the crowns take oversize tubing, it was explained, as it would be stronger and work well with the rest, all good.

Like I said, I had full confidence in Dave and he nailed it as expected.

gugie 

Been to FFD twice, you were too busy to show up, now you post this? And you get a Chapman?

Jealous, yes!

Korina

Pretty, pretty bikes. If we're going that far south, there's Fitz Cycles in Santa Rosa (heard of him from Henrywildeberry). Check out this 26" commuter! ::swoons::

nlerner

The example I showed earlier in this thread isn’t in the local-steel-C&V vein, but is another option for a custom build: I took the specs from my favorite bike to ride (a Black Mountain Cycles Road frame), and had Waltly - Makers of custom high-end titanium bicycle frames, forks and small parts build that frame in titanium with a few modifications: room for 700x 38mm tires, disc brakes, thru-axles. After some back and forth via email to nail down and approve specs and about 10 weeks for the build, my frame arrived stateside. I added a Ritchey CF fork made for gravel rigs and a Campy hydro 11-speed group to come up with this:



It’s super fun to ride, a great combo of smooth, quick, and stable (just over 20 lbs). It actually will also fit my 650b x 48mm wheels, so that should be fun for the super rough stuff.